Bruising or something worse?

[Katia114]

Hi all,

After any advice or your own similar experiences.....sorry if this gets long!

So 4 weeks ago I bought my very first horse he sailed through a 2 stage vetting with nothing to note, and we brought him home. A few days after arriving I rode him and we noticed that he was walking oddly on his left hind, however as we carried on into trot and canter he looked fine and didn't object. For the next few days he was quite on his toes as he settled in so I just lunged him, but he was still very noticeably twisting his left hind as he walked, but again barely noticeable in trot or canter. At first we assumed a strain from looning about in the field but as it didn't improve in a week we got the vet. He revealed a bruise on the foot after reacting to the hoof testers and then slightly paring back the sole - as the bruise was on the outside of the foot, he was twisting his leg so as to try and use the less painful inside of the hoof.

So, a week of box rest and bute was prescribed, during which time I walked him in hand twice a day for around 10 mins each, mostly in the sand school but then also on a patch of grass next to the field towards the end. Whilst on the bute he looked much much better and the bruise could no longer be seen on the sole. We then went 3 days off the bute before the vet came back - I have to confess to turning him out into one of the smaller fields on his own for an hour or so on the last day as it was such a lovely day and he looked like he was going to jump out his stable! All he did was canter to the other end and he then stood quietly grazing for the whole time.

So vet came back yesterday and whilst he has improved he's still not quite right. Unfortunately the first vet was on holiday so this one hadn't seen him originally which made things trickier. He is still twisting the leg very slightly, and he's also not tracking up properly on that side, both on the hard surface and in the school. Vet seems certain it's not an abscess but say it's quite unusual and obviously won't commit to anything more concrete! We are back on box rest and bute for another week and both vets are coming out to see him whilst still on the bute next week to see what difference that makes. I have decided this time round to be quite strict about the box rest, and will only be walking him once a day in the sand school and nothing else. Debating even whether to keep bringing him out the stable whilst I muck out or if that's getting a bit much?!

I'm really hoping that this is just a deep bruise which will heal with time - as I rode/lunged him on it I'm guessing I've probably not helped matters either. Has anyone ever had anything similar? Vet hasn't recommended doing anything else but thinking about using a hoof supplement to try and encourage growth - his back feet aren't amazing and a bit crumbly, but nothing horrendous I think they just need a good trim so might help with this too. But already starting to worry this could be something more serious......

Any thoughts welcome! Obviously as I've only just bought him I've had the barrage of 'helpful' comments from the rest of the yard - everything ranging from sue the vet, to get an MRI scan, to asking why I've bought a lame horse. Not what I want to hear!!!

Thanks x

 

[Damnation]

In this situation I would call a good farrier to come out and have a look - for foot problems the farrier is always my first port of call. They also tend to be a bit less destructive when it comes to removing shoes or digging for an abscess

ETA: I have heard vets tell me that its definately not an abscess only for the farrier to come and find it first time! It is also not unusual for a bruise to turn into an abscess.

 

[Birker2020]

My horse had a suspected bruise that became a haematoma under the sole of the foot. I wonder if this is the case with your horse. It was only after a lot of digging that the vet found it and released the blood, until that day I had no idea you could get blood under the sole of the foot in such a volume! This happened near two consecutive shoeings although I'd had the same farrier for three years prior and three years hence without a problem, so I think the shoeings were coincidental. Eight days total box rest incorporating two days of hot poluticing followed by five or six of poulticing with sugar and iodine to dry it up, fixed the problem from what I can remember.

According to something I read at the time the laminae can also be sufficiently damaged to cause pain due to the bruise, although this is remedied by box rest. You might like to get some hoof pads fitted next time the horse is shod to prevent bruising in future.

 

[RichardRider]

My horse had a suspected bruise that became a haematoma under the sole of the foot. I wonder if this is the case with your horse. It was only after a lot of digging that the vet found it and released the blood, until that day I had no idea you could get blood under the sole of the foot in such a volume! This happened near two consecutive shoeings although I'd had the same farrier for three years prior and three years hence without a problem, so I think the shoeings were coincidental. Eight days total box rest incorporating two days of hot poluticing followed by five or six of poulticing with sugar and iodine to dry it up, fixed the problem from what I can remember.

According to something I read at the time the laminae can also be sufficiently damaged to cause pain due to the bruise, although this is remedied by box rest. You might like to get some hoof pads fitted next time the horse is shod to prevent bruising in future.

This sounds so familiar. My big Selle Fancais is really lame on the front right leg. Farriers came out yesterday and did the test with the large round nosed pliars fishing for an absesse(bone bruise.) They found nothing and the hoof is not warm and the pulse to the hoof is not acelerated. We did another test for the coffin bone(navicular, here in France,) and that was negitive as well(also vets said he wasn't prone to this.) I next, just to explore another route, lifted his good left hoof and leg, and he stood, full weight on the bad leg ...NO PROBLEM.

I'm wondering if it's possible that he still has what you're describing, a very well concealed and deep absesse? Farriers say he couldn't put any weight on it but I must admit, we're all stumped???

Would love a few opinions before calling the vet out...thanks...rr

 

[Birker2020]

This sounds so familiar. My big Selle Fancais is really lame on the front right leg. Farriers came out yesterday and did the test with the large round nosed pliars fishing for an absesse(bone bruise.) They found nothing and the hoof is not warm and the pulse to the hoof is not acelerated. We did another test for the coffin bone(navicular, here in France,) and that was negitive as well(also vets said he wasn't prone to this.) I next, just to explore another route, lifted his good left hoof and leg, and he stood, full weight on the bad leg ...NO PROBLEM.

I'm wondering if it's possible that he still has what you're describing, a very well concealed and deep absesse? Farriers say he couldn't put any weight on it but I must admit, we're all stumped???

Would love a few opinions before calling the vet out...thanks...rr

I would suggest that the only way to know if the lameness is coming from the foot would be to nerve block it. If the foot proves positive with the nerve block then I would have thought xrays would be the next logical step. If it is above the hoof at least with nerve blocks you will be able to accurately pinpoint the area of concern, diagnose and treat if applicable.